Recognize and deal with customer turnoffs

1. Recognize and deal with customer turnoffs

2. Customer Turnoffs • As a customer, client, patient, etc…what are some of your turnoffs? • According to statistics very common customer turnoffs may be; • Being ignored, receiving rude or indifferent service • Having to wait too long • Poor-quality work (especially on repair jobs) or shoddy products • Sale items that are not in stock • Merchandise prices not marked, forcing a price check at cashier • Dirty restaurants or restrooms • Phone calls put on hold forcing you to select from a long menu of choices • Employees lacking product knowledge (who may also try to bluff customers) • High-pressure sales tactics

3. Getting to know your customer • It is in the best interest of an organization to Get to KNOW their customers. The easiest way to understand a customer is to recognize a customer’s satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction. • At the end of the day…what do your customers like or dislike? • What are several methods that may be used to pinpoint customer satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction? • Customer Surveys • Customer Feedback Questionnaires • Customer Focus Groups • Customer Interviews • Customer Advisory groups

4. Categorizing Customer Turnoffs • Through extensive research customer turnoffs can be categorized into three distinct categories • VALUETurnoffs • SYSTEMTurnoffs • PEOPLETurnoffs

5. Value Turnoffs • In short, value turnoffs can be described as not getting the value of what you have paid for. • Example: You receive a 30 minute massage from the massage therapist in your chiropractors office, it is terrible. You feel like you have just been run over by a lawnmower, not to mention that the office has just raised the fees for a massage by 50%. • Value can be defined as: quality relative to price • Examples of value turnoffs: • Poor guarantee or failure to back up products • Quality not good as expected • Price too high for value received

6. Where do value decisions originate from? • Value decisions usually come from management or the head of an organization. In a medical or dental facility value decisions may be regulated by a medical or dental board • The head of an organization will define what is called the; • value proposition—whatthe company intends to exchange with its customers.

7. System Turnoffs • System turnoffs arise from the way a companyDELIVERS ITS PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. • A system is—any process, procedure, or policy used to ‘DELIVER’ the product or service to the customer. Systems are the processes that we use to get value to the customer. • Systems include things such as: • Company location, layout, parking facilities, phone lines • Employee training and staffing • Record keeping (including computer systems for handling customer transactions) • Policies regarding guarantees and product returns • Delivery or pickup services • Merchandise displays • Customer follow-up procedures • Billing and accounting processes

8. Where do system decisions originate from? • The responsibility for minimizing system turnoffs lies with managers, and owners,. System changes often require spending organizational resources which are usually authorized by managers or the head of an organization. • A companies decision to add personnel, provide additional training, change locations or implement new delivery methods, will require management approval. • This does not mean that non-management employees should not be involved in suggesting system changes. Customers may also indirectly be involved in system changes through customer feedback question, surveys etc…about company systems. • Examples of system turnoffs: • Slow service • Long lines • Untrained employees • Poor signage • When transactions are unnecessarily complicated or inefficient (example: complicated form forms)

9. System Turnoffs in a healthcare facility • Can you think of a system turnoff in a healthcare facility? • employees who lack the knowledge to answer customer questions • Telephone menus that are unnecessarily complicated • poor location • cluttered workplace • Lack of adequate seating • Dirty facilities • clumsy or repetitious paperwork requirements • lack of parking • Long periods of waiting • What do you think is the number one system turnoff according to customer research? • Slow service and/or having to wait

10. People Turnoffs • Employees that fail to communicate properly with words or nonverbally without words will almost always lead to people turnoffs. • Employees at all levels may create people turnoffs unconsciously. This usually happens because people fail to understand how they are perceived by others…how can this be remedied…Chapter2: Use behaviours that engage customers and be aware of how and what you are communicating to a customer. • THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR REDUCING PEOPLE TURNOFFS LIES WITH THE EMPLOYEE

11. Examples of People Turnoffs • Employees who fail to greet or even smile at a customer • People who give inaccurate information or convey a lack of knowledge • Employees chatting amongst themselves or allowing telephone interruptions while ignoring a customer • Behaviours that project a rude or uncaring attitude • Work locations that appear dirty or sloppy • Employees who are dressed inappropriately or have poor grooming • Any communicated message that causes the customer to feel uncomfortable

12. Creating Loyal Customers A satisfied customer may not necessarily be a loyal, motivated or repeat customer. A bad service experience may push the customer over the edge and lean them towards becoming a DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER.

13. How to Create Loyal Customers • Reduce or eliminate value, systems and people turnoffs • Exceed customer expectations to create, positive awareness • Loyalty comes from customers awareness that SERVICE IS YOUR BUSINESS • It is only when organizations realize that SERVICE is the foundation of any business that they will begin to serve customers effectively. • Companies have to acknowledge that without their customers they would not exist. • Service only becomes meaningful when it becomes and internal dynamic within an organization.  • Customers’ quickly see the depth of a company’s commitment to service.

14. The payoff to recovering a potentially lost customer…increasing customer loyalty • Studies have shown that: a customer who encounters a problem with a company and that problem is addressed promptly and effectively—thiscustomer will be more likely to remain loyal that a customer who never had a problem. • Even in cases where the customers problem was not resolved 100 percent in their favour, the loyalty still increases. • Just the fact that the problem was acknowledged and addressed seems to be the key variable in strengthening the customer relationship